For Curaçao (Curaçao), Netherlands never leave — dem just learn to wear shorts

When the colorful houses of Willemstad (Willemstad) reflect on the water of Santa Anna Bay, you go get one kind of wrong feeling — like somebody drag Amsterdam near the equator with rope, and forget to carry the gable buildings along the canal, then the Caribbean sun dey roast am for four hundred years, and this na the final result.

These buildings dey follow Dutch style for proportion and gable decoration well-well, but the color — lemon yellow, coral pink, mint green, cobalt blue — no be for Northern Europe at all. One local guide dey lean for Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge (Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge) rail, dey talk for phone for Papiamento. He see me dey look the houses, he cut the call, use English with Dutch accent talk: “You know why these houses get bright color like this? Legend say before, the governor think the white reflection too strong, so he order make dem paint all building for color. But the local people prefer to talk say — we just want to remind Dutch people say this place no be Europe.”

Curaçao (Curaçao) na one constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, dey for south part of Caribbean Sea, just 65 kilometers from Venezuela coast. The whole country get about 160,000 people. The geography of the place decide the destiny: one European law territory for Caribbean Sea, where oil refinery chimney and colonial fort dey live together for the same skyline.

As I dey walk for the streets of Otrobanda (Otrobanda) area, I hear one conversation wey tourist no fit understand — two old women dey sit for porch dey talk for Papiamento, every sentence like dem put Spanish language skeleton inside Dutch language skin, plus African rhythm. Papiamento na one mirror for Curaçao: the Dutch words for the language na colonial history, the Spanish base na geography, the African rhythm na slave trade wound. One local writer write before: “When we talk Papiamento, every time we dey confirm our own identity again — Caribbean people, Dutch rule, African root.”

Food show the same layering logic. One dish wey dem call Keshi Yena (Keshi Yena) — dem hollow out the shell of Dutch Edam cheese (Edam cheese), fill am with chicken, pepper, olive, and raisin, then bake am until the cheese melt — like one taste archive of colonial history. Restaurant owner tell me: “Dutch sailor bring cheese to the island, African cook use their own way to fill am. Four hundred years before, this na servant food — master dey eat the cheese inside, servant dey put leftover food inside the remaining cheese shell. But now, na the starter wey dem go serve for wedding.”

The jersey of Curaçao national team na dark blue with orange stripe — dark blue na Caribbean Sea, orange na Dutch royal family. For one sports shop window for Willemstad (Willemstad), dem hang this jersey for the most visible place, beside am na one small Curaçao flag and one old photo — the day dem win Caribbean Cup for 2017, the whole Willemstad street full of people. The shop owner na man wey dey about fifty-something, he talk: 'Football na the only way wey Curaçao fit make Netherlands notice us. We no dey produce oil, we no get financial center. But we get players — Leandro Bacuna (Leandro Bacuna) play for English Premier League before, Cuco Martina (Cuco Martina) be Everton defender before. When Dutch people see them, dem go talk: Oh, na Curaçao person. He stop small, add: 'Before this time, plenty Dutch people no even know say Curaçao na one country, instead of one beach resort.'

Klein Curacao (Klein Curacao) — 'Small Curacao' — na one small island wey nobody dey live, only one abandoned lighthouse and one beach wey white pass normal for this earth. The boat captain give the steering wheel to him twelve-year-old son, he turn the radio to one channel wey dey play old Dutch songs, then he change am to reggae. 'For Curaçao,' he talk, 'radio no go ever play only one language song. The speed wey you dey change frequency, na the same speed wey this island dey change identity.'

When sun dey set, I walk back to Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge (Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge). The bridge light come on. The reflection of two rows of colorful houses for water, one passing ferry cut am into pieces. For the bridge, one local person dey cross am go house after work, one tourist stop to take picture of the skyline, one young boy dey ride bicycle fast-fast — he wear Curaçao national team orange training jersey. The shadow of these three people for the water pieces, dem overlap small. Then the pontoon bridge close again slowly. Every day for Curaçao dey like this pontoon bridge: boat dey always interrupt am, but e never truly break — e just dey wait for the boat to pass, then e join again.